Curvilinear garment support



April 2, 1940. J v MOORE 2,195,894

- CURVILINEAR GARMENT SUPPORT Filed Nov. 21, 1938 I7: Mercia)? J/Z? 7/7/7002? 0, ear- Patented Apr. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES ATENT -.i=rics Moore Fabric Company, Pawtucket, R.

corporation of Rhode Island Application November 21, 1938, Serial No. 241,525 Claims. (Cl. 2-237) This invention relates to suspended garments which encircle the waist of the wearer, such as trousers .or skirts, and relates more particularly to means forpreventing downward displacement of such garments when in use.

It is the general object of my invention to provide an improved construction by which such suspended garments will'be firmly supported on the waist of the wearer and will be yieldingly held from downward displacement, but with no tendency to wrinkle the fabric of the garment, whether inuse or otherwise.

To the attainment of this object, I provide a curvilinear elastic waist-band having its upper, longer and normally convex edge secured to the waist portion of the garment, and having its lower, shorter and normally concave edge free from the garment and spaced substantially inward therefrom when the garment is not in use.

A preferredform of my invention is shown in the drawing, in which I Fig. lis a partial perspective view of a garment having my invention embodied therein;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the curvilinear waist-band, detached;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the garment when not in use; I

.Fig. 4 is a similar view with the parts in the position which they assume when the garment is worn; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of curvilinear waist-band fabric.

Referring to the drawing, my improved garment is provided with a support or waist-band which is preferably formed from a single piece of curvilinear elastic fabric which may be of the general type shown and described in my prior Patent No. 1,770,740, issued July 15, 1930, but

preferably with the rubber warps somewhat differently distributed. A band B of suitable length is cut from this curvilinear elastic material and is secured within the waist portion of the garment G in any convenient manner, as by stitches It is essential that the parts be so assembled that the longer and normally convex edge of the curvilinear material forms the. upper edge l2 of the band B and is the edge which is secured by the stitches ID. The shorter and normally concave edge of the curvilinear material then forms the lower edge M of the band B when assembled in the garment, and this lower edge is left entirely free from the fabric of the garment G.

The ends l5'of the waist-band will be secured to the opposite edges of the garment at the Waist opening therein, as usual, and these edges will be secured together by buttons or otherwise when the garment is in use. The waist-band B then forms a substantially continuous curvilinear structure which is free from the garment except at its upper edge and at the points where the ends I5 are secured to the edge portions ofthe garment at the waist opening.

The waist-band B is woven with a substantial curvature, so that when assembled within the garment it will assume a sharply conical but inverted contour, with the shorter and free lower edge portion i4 spaced substantially away from the outer garment fabric.

When a garment thus constructed is placed around the waist of the wearer and the edges thereof at the opening are secured together, the lower and normally contracted portion Id of the waist-band B will be substantially stretched and will assume more or less the positionshown in Fig. 4. The band in this position firmly grips the waist of the wearer and stronglyresists downward displacement of the garment.

The shorter and free lower edge of the waistband may be made with increased stretch but more strongly contractive than the upper edge by any usual means, such as the insertion of more or heavier rubber warps or the weaving'of the rubber warps at the shorter edge under increased tension. The more sharp the normal curvature, the more the lower portion of the waist-band will be expanded in use and the more firmly it will grip the wearer.

It will be noted that the yielding movement I and gripping action of the waist-band B takes place mainly in that lower portion of the waistband which is free from the garment and which is normally displaced inwardly therefrom. Accordingly there is little if any tendency to contract or wrinkle the garment under any conditions, whether on or oif of the wearer.

In the construction shown in Fig. 4, the stretch and tension are both gradually reduced toward the long convex edge of the waist-band, and the selvage 20 may constitute an attaching portion woven without rubber and with no longitudinal stretch.

The relative freedom of the expanding and contracting lower portion of the waist-band is of very great importance, as otherwise the unyielding nature of the garment fabric would prevent expansion of the waist-band, or else the fabric would be badly wrinkled by contraction of the Waist-band when the garment was not in use.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. In combination, a suspended garment having a closed waist portion, and means to support said garment on the wearer, said means comprising an inner waist-band of curvilinear elastic fabric which is secured at its upper edge only to said garment and which assumes the outline of an inverted truncated cone with its lower free edge substantially spaced inwardly from said garment when the garment is in normal shape but not in use.

2. In combination, a suspended garment having a closed waist portion, and means to support said garment on the wearer, said means comprising an inner Waist-band of curvilinear elastic fabric which is secured at its upper edge only to said garment and which has a lower free edge substantially spaced inwardly from said garment when the garment is in normal shape but not in use, said lower free edge being yieldingly displaceable outward toward the garment fabric when the garment is worn and firmly gripping the body of the wearer when thus outwardly displaced.

3. In combination, a suspended garment having a closed waist portion, and means to support said garment on the wearer, said means comprising an inner waist-band of curvilinear elastic fabric having its ends and its upper, longer and normally convex edge secured to the waist portion of said garment, and having its lower, shorter and normally concave portion free from said garment and substantially spaced inwardly therefrom when the garment is in normal shape but not in use.

4. In combination, a suspended garment having a closed waist portion, and means to support said garment on the wearer, said means comprising an inner waist-band of curvilinear elastic fabric which is secured at its upper and longer convex edge only to said garment and which has its lower and shorter concave free edge substantially spaced inward from said garment when the garment is in normal shape but not in use, said waist-band having greater stretch and tension in its lower and shorter portion.

5. In combination, a suspended garment having a closed waist portion, and means to support said garment on the wearer, said means comprising an inner Waist-band of curvilinear elastic fabric which is secured at its upper edge only to said garment and which has its lower a free edge substantially spaced inward from said garment when the garment is in normal shape but not in use, said waist-band having greater stretch and tension in its lower and shorter portion and being substantially non-elastic in its upper and longer selvage which constitutes an attaching portion.

JOHN V. MOORE. 

